Just a bit for Temps....

A Chapter by The Grappler

The colonel is down and lost on the battlefield.....the troops gather to get him back...

For a short time the roar of battle died down and Colonel Grappler called out,

“Temps!”

“Yes, sir?”

“You OK? How are your troops?”

“I’ve lost a couple here, being patched up right now. Dark Eyes is hit and she’s going back. Poweranni took a glancing blow to the helmet and she’s bit shaky, maybe concussed bad, but we’re OK for now! Darin’s Troop seems to be in a world of hurt over there! They’ve been coming at him for nearly an hour now! Haven't heard much fire coming from them.”

“OK. I‘m going across to see what the situation is. Give me some cover!”

‘”Right, sir. Watching your back now!”

Grappler set of at a fast trot over the eighty yards or so to Darin’s Troop, intent on making sure they were ready and able to fight.

A sudden unseen surge of Zoms came out of the trees to the left, and made a beeline for Colonel Grappler - suddenly somehow, horribly, hopelessly isolated. They opened up from about fifty yards away, and he swung his M-36 up to return fire….. and the Colonel went down in mid-stride and just seemed to disappear into the ground. No return fire came from where he’d fallen……

Temple’s M-36 jammed after three rounds and she grabbed an M-14 with a sniper scope and started putting the Zoms down as they came at the Colonel’s spot in a rush, knocking one or two down, but not enough.

Suddenly, from out of the trees opposite, Sarrain and Darin put in a flanking charge, M-36s blasting and ready to take on the world, clearing a way through the Zom horde and dropping Zom after Zom as they bee-lined to the spot where the Colonel had fallen… Temple kept up her single aimed shots at any Zom that moved that way - but there were so many… so many…

Sarrain and Darin, miraculously untouched in a shitstorm of lead flying their way, jumped down into what was now obviously a hole where the Colonel had fallen when hit, and immediately started pumping out lead at the Zoms closing in. It was hopeless.

Darin went down, head exploding, and Sarrain stood his ground and returned fire until from twenty yards away one unsighted Zom too many cut loose with a full mag at him, and he was hit, spinning around and dropping like a stone.

Temple heard someone screaming insanity, and wondered who it was until she realised it was herself, and kept hurling the Zoms into hell with 7.62 high velocity rounds, changing mags and reloading until the barrel got too hot to touch.

She just couldn’t hold them back from Grappler’s hole, and they swarmed around it now, almost dancing in a frenzy around the fallen Troopers in it.

Temps kept potting away, but it would never be enough, her puny 7.62 weapon sounding to her ears like a popgun and feeling so light in her hands like a toy… until she was distracted by a sudden noise. Risking a quick look over her shoulder, she saw Mabel B and Mabe setting up their old M2 .50 cal over to her right, then, in slow motion it seemed, load a belt, c**k the old clunker, and open fire..

“Kill them all.. KILL THEM ALL!”, she found herself screaming…. and switched to full auto, emptying the M-14 time after time until it jammed from heat… then grabbing another one from a fallen Trooper nearby..

The heavy hollow point .50 cal rounds, mixed with a river of smaller rounds from every weapon holder not under direct attack, ripped the dancing Zoms into bloody shreds, scything them like ripe wheat and tossing them like rag dolls caught in a hurricane… they fell and fell, and finally pulled back….. leaving a field littered with blood and torn bodies…. Temple and a few others began the grim work of sniping those that moved….. until she stopped when for some unaccountable reason she couldn’t see straight…

Temple felt herself crying……. and started to shake….

* * *

Jessica Nacirema threw herself down next to Temple, and took in the young Captain’s

posture and demeanour in one fast glance, before popping her head quickly up for a look. The Zoms were no longer attacking, but were laying down a constant stream of fire across the open ground. No room for the living there!

“We’ve got all of Raga’s Troop coming in behind Darin’s position to back him up. What’s going on?”

Temple shook her head, and some life returned to her tear-ruined face,

“There is no Darin… and no Sarrain. They’re out there… in a hole in the ground. I saw them both go down, and it didn’t look good!”

“OK, Temp, hold on tight. You know that s**t happens.”

Temple turned to face Jess directly,

“They went out there to get the Colonel. He’s there, too. In that heap of bodies somewhere, I’d say. I saw him go down, too, no return fire from him - he was going across to support Darin’s troops and they caught him in the open. They’re all in that hole out there surrounded by dead Zoms”

“Ah, s**t! That’s all I f*****g need! Look - ain’t nobody getting across there right now, and we’re ordered to pull back to the top of the ridge for the night. Flanking units have fallen back and we’re pretty much on our own right now. Once Raj get into Darin’s position and sorts it out, we’re pulling out.”

“We can’t!”

“If we don’t, Captain - we’re all gonna end up under a pile of f*****g dead Zoms. Got that? Now you are ordered to go back to the top of the ridge when Raj fires off a red flare. And I don’t wanna see anyone left behind or any gear those f***s can use!”

Temple looked stunned, looking inward, and Jess could see she was thinking furiously,

“CAPTAIN! Your first responsibility is to your troops - you get them out and we’ll see what we can do about…. the rest of it. Got that? YOU GOT THAT?”

“Yes, Sergeant Major - I’ve got that! We’ll be right there once that flare goes off. The Zoms are a bit rocky - Mabel and Mabes chewed their asses for them real good, and I don’t think they want to come back in a hurry. They may be crazy, but they’re not f*****g stupid.”

‘Once it gets dark - we can see what we can see, OK”, said Jess a little more gently, “but don’t go banking on it - on anything!”

“It’s OK - we’re OK. We’re right behind you”.

“Now make sure all your troops know when to leave and what’s required of them.. Mabes, Mabel - you’d better get a head start with that sucker " looks heavy! And good work! Rowdy saw you engage from up top.”

The machine gun team nodded in unison and packed up their ancient weapon and signaled for the ammunition party to lug the ammo out, and headed up the hill to the ridgetop trenches to set up again to cover the withdrawal. Pity the Zoms who tried to interfere.

Temple stayed in place, snapping the occasional shot at a Zom stupid enough to show a body part, while Gun Fanatic went around the troops and filled them in on what to do and when. Temple figured she’d ditch that M-36 and hang on to the M-14.

A single red flare rose majestically over Darin’s last position as the red glowering sun sank nearly to the horizon…….and darkness started to gather over the suddenly much more lonely field.....

* * *

Temple sat in the trench line and just stared and stared out at the encroaching dark, her eyes never moving, but looking somehow like a lost puppy, despite her obvious wariness of the Fem hordes somewhere outside the perimeter. Even down in spirit, they’d better not cross her now.

After what seemed like hours, but was only a couple of minutes, Gun Fanatic dropped in beside her and took a seat, taking out a strength bar to munch, and offering Temple half. She shook her head and just stared into the darkness…

Gun Fanatic munched a piece of the bar, then wrapped the rest and put it in a pocket, and spoke gently,

“He’s not coming back, Temps. Nor is Sarrain or Darren. You saw him go down, there was no return fire, and Sarrain and Daz run over, then they went down, too, and the Fems just swamped them. There’s no way they made it.”

He went on with a helpless note in his voice,

“You were there! You saw that we had no chance of getting there and we had no choice but to pull out. There were just too many and they were all over. You’ve got to accept it, Temps - he’s gone.”

Temple spoke slowly and clearly, an edge of a tear in her voice,

“No, GF - he’s not! I know it. I can feel it in here!”

She touched a finger to her heart.

“It’s like I can feel him calling. Sounds stupid, I know - but it’s there, and I won’t let it go. I have to get to him and get him out of there!”

“Oh Christ, Temps, you’re acting like a woman! We all feel something inside over this, but we can’t just go out there without orders and leave the rest here to fend for themselves! We’re under orders to pull back in the morning, and we can’t just go out there on our own! We have to hold the line here! We could get into trouble - deep trouble!”

“Not if it’s just the two of us - or maybe four. That still leaves half of what’s left of us to hold here.”

“It’s not enough and you know it - not to hold here, or to carry them all out if we have to. And we will have to, you know. If they could walk they’d be here by now!”

“I won’t leave them, Gun - I won’t! Did Grappler leave Fereshte and Evie Fletcher at Brinker’s Pass?? Did we leave Blaise at Omaha, even though she didn’t make it?? NO! And we’re not leaving our guys out there! We’re not leaving Grappler and Sarrain and Darin for the wolves!”

“Oh, s**t, Temps! This is too hard right now. We can’t do it.”

“Can’t do what?

Jess Nacirema dropped in beside them, having approached unheard as she was wont to do even at night.

Neither answered.

“OK - don’t tell me. I know what you reprobates are planning, and I heard you, so just don’t tell me to my face, ‘cause I can’t hear this. And the answer is you know you can’t do it. You haven’t got the troops here to go and recover all three of them. So forget it!”

Temple spoke again, clearly and in control and totally determined,

“Sa’r-Major Nacirema - I command this Troop - we’ve still got about sixty all told in the Squadron and not just this Troop, or what’s left of it, and I’m going, if I have to go alone! Got that? I’ll get him back if I have to carry him all the way on my back on my own. So get used to it!”

She started to rise and get ready to climb over the berm.

“Hold it, Temps”, Jess interrupted her… and pulled her back down.

“OK - I just know I’m gonna regret this - I’m with you, god help me! But you’re gonna need some help - we need at least ten to bring them all back and provide us some security. It’s only about two hundred yards out there, but there’s no telling who or what is in the way. Just hang here until I gather the old gang from all around the other Troops nearby. Give me ten minutes!”

Temple looked Jess in the eye,

“What?” .. from Jess.

“You crafty old.... you were coming all along, weren’t you! You already had this figured out. You can’t fool me - not after all this time!”

“Yeah, well - just as long as you don’t tell the old b*****d that - when we get him in! Promise me that! I don’t want any sob stories getting around! Now let me get some people together.”

* * *

They were a tough and experienced group - and Gun Fanatic slipped his super-sharp combat knife back into its sheath as Jess arrived with Wyett, Mabe and Mabel B, Surfagirl, then Poweranni who’d asked to come back into the line, and even Raga and Phantom Wolf from Rarg’s ‘C’ squadron of mostly Indians. That brought the total to the ten that Jess figured was needed, six to carry and four for security on the way back.

Almost as an afterthought, out of the gloom, Rowdy put in a shy appearance, with Incubus in tow.

“Hi, guys. Evening, Captain, S’ar-Major. I was just out doing a tour of the gun pits afore full dark, you know. Sort of heard a rumour you were planning a reconnaissance - just to see what the Fems were up to - so we reckoned Ink and I might just come on down and take charge of the line here while you’re out. Not much good at this night creeping stuff myself, though Ink is pretty good - but we can hold your place for you here, Temps. Just for a while, you know.”

“Yes, sir, Lieutenant Colonel McFarlane, Sir! You can hold my place here any time! Thank you! And you, Ink!”

Rowdy nodded. They did not salute - not going to draw attention to officers by doing so, and the ten saddled up and moved out in an arrowhead. Rowdy watched them go, wondering at their brazen courage and their endless loyalty, and settled in to the line to stand watch over the Zom front, and to watch over their backs, in case higher-higher had a sudden idea about what was going on.

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